Sleep is considered to be a time of growth and rejuvenation for organisms. Teenagers and adults typically sleep between 6-8 hours per night, while children and the elderly often require more sleep and thus spend more time in bed. It is therefore important that the surface that one sleeps on, no matter what one's age, does not pose any risks for any health or physical harm.
One of the many aspects of infant care includes the position in which an infant should sleep. Based on current research, parents are advised to place a sleeping infant in a supine (face-up) position, as opposed to a prone (face-down) position, due to the possible risks involved with prone sleeping. These risks include suffocation, which may occur if air (oxygen) flow to the infant is obstructed. Such an incident is more likely when the infant is positioned in a manner wherein its mouth and nose are in close contact with or are enveloped by a soft mattress or a mattress cover. Similarly, in a prone position, the infant may breathe into a small unventilated space, so that it may inhale exhaled carbon dioxide for an extended period of time, which in a subset of infants can lead to asphyxiation and death.
Although the sleeping infant may be positioned in its crib or bed in a supine position, when the infant is strong enough to turn over by itself, it may change on its own to a prone position. In many cases, an infant may be strong enough to turn from a supine to prone position, but not the reverse. Thus, if an adult does not notice that the infant has turned over, the infant may remain in the prone position for an entire night.
It is therefore important that the surface upon which an infant sleeps is air-permeable to allow the infant to breathe naturally and fully without obstruction, even in a prone position.
The American Academy of Pediatrics [www.aap.org] discloses that a firm mattress is helpful in preventing sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and in promoting child development.
There have been various attempts by the prior art to overcome to problems associated with sleeping infants; however, they each have drawbacks or difficulties of their own.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,273 discloses a mattress assembly for supporting a sleeping infant or child. The assembly comprises a frame member and a mattress cover supported in tension over the frame member. The frame member has an open box-like structure with wide legs and side walls. The side walls comprise recessed portions for allowing some air-flow to transfer between the surroundings and the bottom of the mattress cover. The frame member is typically made of a rigid or semi-rigid material. The assembly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,273 is essentially an entire bed structure for replacing a conventional bed. The structure is bulky, and, depending on the material of the frame may be weighty and difficult to transport and store. Additionally, when the infant soils the mattress cover, the mattress cover must be removed and cleaned before refastening. This process can be very tedious, depending on the fastening arrangement used and on the dexterity of the adult who performs the removing and refastening, especially when soiling occurs frequently.
It is important to note that although U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,273 attempts to provide an unblocked passage for air flow, due to the thick side wrap portions, air flow between the surroundings and the bottom of the mattress cover is somewhat restricted. Thus, since the frame member is comprised of a substantial thickness, the infant may move its body to the frame area while it is sleeping, which can result in suffocation or asphyxiation, as described herein above.
An additional risk associated with infant care, in particular, with reference to U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,273, includes potential injury to the infant. The frame member of U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,273 is made of a hard material, and comprises a substantial thickness. Thus, if an infant accidentally falls or moves abruptly when situated on the bed, it might bang its head or other body part on the frame. In some cases, this may cause the infant to grow a bump, and in more severe cases, bleeding, or even a concussion may occur.
Furthermore, as the child grows in size (weight and height), the mattress cover of U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,273 will undergo a sinking (or, sagging) effect over time. Since the fastening means is rigid, there is no solution to this problem except to purchase a new mattress cover to replace the old one.
Other air permeable sleeping surfaces for infants are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,525, U.S. Pat. No. 6,256,813, and [http://cgi.ebay.com/Natural-Airflow-baby-mattress-infant-crib-cradle-safely]. These sleeping surfaces, however, are liable to sag. The latter publication, for example, comprises a plurality of straps located on the back of the mattress for adjusting the surface tension. As the straps are not adapted to be fixated and the material from which the surface is made does not have a large load bearing capacity, the sleeping surface tends to sag when a load is placed thereon. If the straps are subjected to an excessive tensile force, they are liable to be severed from the sleeping surface.
In addition to the importance of the structure of the sleeping surface of an infant as described above, the structure of the surface on which an older child or an adult sleeps will often have an affect on the health of the person.
Recently, an increase in the prevalence of asthma, nasal allergies and eczema has been observed particularly in industrialized countries. These maladies are frequently exacerbated by dust mites, pollen, hair shed from house pets, etc. Dust mites, flourish in areas where dust accumulates in the home, especially in moist and humid conditions, such as found on and below mattresses and within carpets. The mites nourish on flakes of skin that are shed from the body, and they attach themselves to the textile fibers of the mattress and carpet. Often, their attachment to these fibers is so strong that even the suction force from a standard vacuum cleaner is not strong enough to remove the mites.
Children in particular are exposed to high levels of dust mites for long periods of time and therefore suffer more than adults from symptoms related to this exposure. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in September, 2004, showed that improvement in allergy and asthma related afflictions occurred when measures were taken to remove dust mites from the home. 937 children between the ages of 5-11, with moderate to severe asthma were examined. The families of these children were given anti-allergenic items, such as mattress covers, special vacuum cleaners and air filters for use in their homes. The results indicated a significant decrease in asthma symptoms for these children, including fewer nocturnal awakenings, fewer absences from school and fewer stays in the hospital. The latest international guidelines on asthma have emphasized the importance of prevention of exposure to asthma triggers within the home in general, and especially to dust mites.
As indicated above, mattress covers made of a unique material that seal in the dust mites exist and are intended to prevent the sleeping person from breathing in the mites during sleep. However, such covers are uncomfortable for the user to sleep on, are expensive to purchase and need to be changed regularly. Other preventative measures include unique vacuum cleaners and air filters, which are often costly as well, and extermination spray, which may be hazardous to one's health and not efficient.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a support surface that allows a person to remain in a healthy state while sleeping thereon.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a support surface that allows air flow to pass through.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a support surface assembly comprising an air permeable layer.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a support surface assembly for a sleeping infant, which reduces the risk of injury to an infant that falls on it.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a support surface assembly that is easy to transport and may be collapsed and stored easily.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a support surface assembly which is easily cleanable.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a support surface assembly that prevents the accumulation of dust mites on it.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a support surface assembly that prevents sagging of the air-permeable layer.
Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.